Three words can save your life

Brampton Fire and Emergency Services has partnered with what3words, a free mobile app for iOS and Android that has divided the world into 3m squares, each with a unique 3 word address. The potentially life-saving app works offline, so anyone, anywhere can discover their 3 word address without Wi-Fi or mobile data.

In emergencies such as when someone is lost, or needs support describing exactly where help is needed, use the app to discover the 3 word address, and provide the details to Brampton Fire and Emergency responders. This app will allow Brampton Fire to respond to emergency calls with more precise location identification, enabling quicker dispatch to the incident site, which is crucial in emergencies.

FAQs

What is what3words?

what3words is a really simple way to talk about location. It has divided the world into 3m squares, each with a unique 3 word address. It means that everyone, everywhere can refer to any precise location – from a specific building entrance to a point on a hiking trail or a remote spot in a field – using just 3 words.

If someone is in an emergency situation and struggling to describe their location, they can use what3words to provide their location details easily and accurately. A person can find the what3words address for their current location by opening the what3words app. what3words will display the three words for that three metre square location and the caller can provide them to Brampton Fire dispatch, who can enter them into the what3words map in the control room in order to identify the precise location for dispatch.

If someone has the what3words app installed on their phone it works offline, so they can discover their 3 word address without Wi-Fi or mobile data. The map might not download but the 3 word address will still be shown.

How does what3words work in an emergency?

If someone is in an emergency situation and struggling to describe their location, what3words can be used to help them do this easily and accurately. A person can find the what3words address for their current location by opening the what3words app.

Depending on the device they are using a caller will be asked to ensure location services are switched on on their device or allow location services on the browser they are using. what3words will display the 3 words for that 3m square location and the caller can provide them to the emergency call handler who can enter them into the what3words map in the control room in order to identify the precise location for dispatch.

Is what3words a tracking app?

what3words is not a tracking app - it does not track the location of its users, it provides a method for users to choose to share their location either by voice or text.

Does what3words hold my location data?

Not at an individual level. what3words keeps a record of the searches made within its mobile app and map site, and it will know the town or city from which those searches were made. This data wouldn't be associated with an individual, a name or email address and is used exclusively for analytics purposes at an aggregated level.

You don't need to register for an account with what3words in order to use the app. However, if you do choose to do so, what3words would store your name, email address and any favourite 3 word addresses you choose to store within your account. You can find out more around how what3words uses personal data at: https://what3words.com/privacy/

Has what3words already been used for emergency response and is it working?

Yes, what3words has proven an important tool in allowing emergency services to locate callers and incidents in thousands of instances in the UK and South Africa - it is now relied upon every day by services there. You can see stories of successful rescues here: https://what3words.com/what3words-for-emergencies-real-life-stories/

In Canada, where what3words has only just begun to be used there have already been two successful uses - where lost hikers were located and brought to safety in Manitoba and Ontario. In each of these instances, what3words made it easy for the emergency services to identify exactly where the incident was, and help was quickly dispatched to its precise location.

Do people need a Wifi signal or mobile data to use the app?

If you have the what3words app installed on your phone it works offline, so you can discover your 3 word address without Wifi or mobile data. The map might not download but the 3 word address will still be shown.

In the case of an emergency, to find your 3 word address easily and give emergency services your exact location, we recommend downloading the free what3words app to be prepared.

Do people need phone reception/network signal to give their 3 word address to emergency services?

You will always be able to discover the 3 words for your current location whether you have a phone signal or not, all the app requires to give you your 3 word address is a GPS signal.

If you do not have signal to call 911 in the location that you are providing the 3 words for we recommend writing down or saving (in the app) the 3 word address and then you can try, as you would normally, moving to another location to find signal or passing the 3 words via a radio if that is available.

What happens in an emergency if my GPS signal is not good enough/if the blue dot keeps moving and my words change?

To give you a 3 word address for your current location, the what3words app uses the GPS from your device to identify where you are (the blue dot) and displays the words assigned to the closest square.

If the blue dot is moving around a lot this can be because the GPS signal of your device is too weak to get a ‘lock’ – this may happen if you’re in a building or in a location where your line of sight to the sky is obstructed.

In order to help get the most accurate 3 words for your current location, here are some steps you can take:

If it is possible, move to a location where you can get line of sight to the sky
If using the what3words app, you can switch to satellite view and move the highlighted square manually, in order to be as close to where you think you are as possible

From speaking to Emergency Services around the country we know that in incidents where they are struggling to locate callers, they can often be dealing with a search radius of multiple kilometres. what3words is a tool that they use to narrow this down - therefore, even if you are concerned the 3 words aren’t exactly your 3x3m square this information may still be incredibly useful to identify your location and help them find you.

Can you not just go to Google Maps and share your GPS coordinates?

Sharing your GPS coordinates is by all means something you could use to share your precise location. However, passing a long string of numbers over the phone can be a challenge as it’s easy to make mistakes and for emergency services who then need to pass these onto other parties, they will also need to ensure no mistakes are made. Using just 3 simple dictionary words makes this process much easier, allowing you to pass a location more quickly and in a form where errors are less likely to be made. This is why many emergency services prefer to ask for your what3words location than GPS coordinates.

Would this be suitable for those who are deaf, have hearing impairment or anyone who cannot speak on mobile who need help?

what3words alone does not provide a solution to those who are hearing or speech impaired. However it is very easy to use a 3 word address as part of the solutions that emergency services provide for this group of callers. For example, a deaf caller in the UK was able to provide their 3 word address in an emergency as their ‘Read Aloud’ software for iPhone scanned and read the 3 words from the what3words FindMe page, allowing them to repeat them over the emergency call.